If I were to ever get COVID I have a better chance than usual of getting totally fucked, thanks to respiratory problems I have. Because of this, it's recommended that I get a COVID vaccine booster every six months instead of once a year. And so I do that. I can't say whether or not I've ever had COVID... if I did, it must have been mild enough for me not to notice (and perhaps the vaccinations had something to do with that)... so, yeah, I'll just keep on doing what I've been doing because I'm still alive to do it.
Today I received my 10th vaccination for COVID which contains all the latest strain information to teach my body how to better fight it off should I ever get exposed to it. I didn't know how many jabs it was off the top of my head, I had to count it...
And, just like every other time I get boosted and people find out about it, I'll be told that this time I'm definitely going to die. The reason for my demise seems to change every time. First it was myocarditis and pericarditis. Then it was blood clots. Then it was my DNA breaking down. Then it was cancer. Last time it was stroke. This time I'm sure it will be death by something entirely more interesting. Because they heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy they know that is a doctor or a mortician or whatever.
To which I can only say... okay. If I die in my sleep tonight, then so be it. Nothing is without risk but, for me at least, the risk is very much worth it. Yes, shit happens. Even with a vaccine that's overwhelmingly been proven safe and to help minimize how badly COVID can affect you. Smoking is far, far more dangerous, yet smokers don't seem to have to put up with as much bullshit as somebody trusting the God-given scientific miracle of RNA vaccines.
Now, my attitude towards the vaccines is my own. If somebody wants to believe misinformation, or even what their gut is telling them, then fine. I'll do what's best for me. You do what's best for you.
Except...
What if I can't do what's best for me?
As massive cuts to American health research and services continue, very soon there won't be the research to determine which strains should be targeted (let alone develop a formulation for it). So maybe I won't get to decide. Instead RFK and his brain worm get to decide for me.
Which is beyond batshit crazy because RFK Jr. doesn't know what the fuck he is doing. Some things, like restricting food additives which are so questionable that European agencies have already restricted them, I have no problem with. Yeah. That's probably a good move. But that's such a small part of what he's into as to be laughable.
Whether you like John Oliver or not, he's got an interesting rundown on it all...
The more I hear about the current administration's plans for American health, the more convinced I am that people are going to die because of it.
Maybe a lot of people.
In the 9 years I've been at my place, I've had two wasp nests.
The first one was on Year Two under the eaves of the upstairs roof outside my bedroom. The wasps weren't bothering anybody so I just left it alone. The only reason I even knew they were there was because the cats were going bananas watching them out the window. Harmless entertainment.
The second one was Year Five under the front porch. I always enter my home through the garage pass-door, so I didn't know it was there until somebody selling something mentioned it when I had to answer the door. I was so very tempted to say "Yes. I asked them to come so they can keep uninvited solicitors away from me" but held my tongue. This was clearly a problem for visitors who were invited, so I reluctantly went and bought a can of RAID wasp nest killer because there's not much else you can do. If it were bees, I could probably find some help in relocating them. But wasps? Nobody in their right mind is going to move a wasp's nest. I put on a ridiculous amount of clothing to cover every square inch of skin and some swim goggles... cracked the screen door... then unloaded the can into the nest. It was like something out of a horror movie. And, despite wasps being total bastards, I felt guilty for weeks.
Today I've been getting alerts all day that there's "somebody at my front door." But when I look...
So I guess they're back and making another nest.
Fortunately I know about it early enough that I can (hopefully) encourage them to move to another location without massive loss of life.
After the second nest I was told that peppermint oil will discourage wasps from building on your house. But the idea of my property smelling like a Christmas mint was not something I thought I could live with. Which is okay, because I'm the one paying the mortgage.
This may be the 900th installment of Bullet Sunday, but the bullets are as fresh as ever... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...
• The Devil of Hell's Kitchen! I've been ridiculously busy and didn't manage to get past Episode 02 of Daredevil: Born Again until today. When I binged the entire rest of the series. It was better than I had even hoped. Came very close to eclipsing Hawkeye as my favorite Marvel Studios television series. What's surprising is how they managed to keep it as dark and edgy and its Netflix beginnings while toning it down just enough to fit under the Disney+ banner. I thought they would ruin what they had, but they pulled it off...
Highest possible recommendation. Like Hawkeye, they were beautifully source-material accurate. And between Charlie Cox's pained portrayal of Matt Murdock and Vincent D'Onofrio's intense take on Wilson Fisk, the series couldn't help but be good (and lest we forget Ayelet Zurer's deliciously cold and ruthless turn as Vanessa Fisk!). The great story just sealed the deal. I'm betting the second half in the second season (currently in production) will tie things up with a heck of a bang. Here's hoping that Disney has a plan for the Devil of Hell's Kitchen after that.
• Papal! Just throwing this out there...
I was baptized in the Catholic Church. And I am a man. Apparently that's all the qualification I need...
One thing's for certain. If I were Pope, priests and nuns who assault people, particularly children, would have no place to hide.
• Niamos! The Official Star Wars YouTube Channel has officially released a one hour video of Mon Mothma dancing to that absolute banger of a track from the end of Andor Season 02E03...
Now... if you haven't seen the episode, you have no idea what's happening, why she's dancing, or just how brilliant this series is. What happened just before the dance started will haunt me for a very long time. If you're not watching Andor, you are missing one of the best TV shows of all time... Star Wars or no Star Wars.
• Worth Fighting For! It's one thing to have read the infamous NSFW South Park letter. It's quite another to have the incomparable Matt Berry read it live...
I will never be able to see Matt Berry and not be mad that What We Do In The Shadows was canceled.
• Industry! Earlier this week Variety, whose bread and butter is covering the entertainment industry, had a headline of this: "Sinners" has amassed $61 million in its global debut. It's a great result for an original, R-rated horror film, yet the Warner Bros. release has a $90 million price tag before global marketing expenses, so profitability remains a ways away. This headline this early is blatantly manipulative and an obvious attempt to define a narrative which supports big budgets exclusively for IP-based films. Fortunately, Variety was immediately and rightfully called out on it. And one particular source caught my eye...
In what universe does a 60 million dollar opening for an original studio movie warrant this headline? https://t.co/rkFQxQNwMp
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) April 21, 2025
Bravo. And, just an FYI, as of this writing Sinners has a global box office of $121,726,427. With stellar reviews, great press, Ryan Coogler's fan following, and some serious momentum, The movie will, at the very least, break even at the box office. Then any home-video sales and streaming rights will be gravy. This movie will very obviously hit profitability, and the fact that Variety's shitty headline didn't bother to wait before questioning it's ability to get there is very, very telling. They aren't covering the entertainment industry... they're attempting to influence the entertainment industry. The question becomes why? Conclusions are pretty easy to draw, but the important take-away from all this is that no media is safe from having an agenda. Never have been. The difference is that now they're blatantly obvious about it.
• DOOM! Just an FYI... Avengers: Doomsday starts filming tomorrow.
See you at Bullet Sunday No. 901.
Fur everywhere is always a problem with my cats, but in Spring when they're shedding their winter coats in bulk, it's a serious issue from which I cannot escape.
Fortunately, for Jenny at least, the solution is to brush her with the Furminator®. This thing is remarkable for being to pull so much fur off a cat that you'll have enough to build a second cat. And Jenny loves the thing. She wants to be brushed down with it as rough as you dare go, and doesn't want you to stop. I think she'd be happy to be brushed until all her fur is gone.
Jake on the other hand? He hates the thing. Even the gentlest of brushing will have him snapping at me. And so I do the best I can to claw at him with my hands so I can get as much loose fur off of him as I can. Which isn't much. Which means there's Jake fur rolling around the house in all directions.
Oh well. 50/50 is better than nothing.
One thing my cats seem to enjoy equally well is chomping on my lettuce.
This past week I saw lettuce puked up in two places and went rushing to the security cameras to see which of the little monsters was responsible...
The answer may not surprise you.
It was both of them!
So I guess I have to move my vegetable & herb garden to the garage?
My favorite color is blue... periwinkle blue, which has a touch of purple in it.
But my mom's favorite color was red, so my kitchen appliances, tools, and cookware are all red.
My beautiful new red Le Creuset Dutch oven, which I have been dreaming of owning for decades but could never afford, is finally here. Even though I couldn't really afford it now, the price is always going up (and won't be going down any time soon if tariffs have anything to say about it), so when I saw it at a good price I just went ahead and bought it...
The first thing I'll be making in it this weekend is some SourJo bread. My (red!) potato baker doesn't get as hot as a cast-iron Dutch oven, so I haven't yet made a loaf of sourdough in real cast iron yet. But I've always wanted to, because I'm told it really improves everything.
Wish me luck.
And so I downloaded Microsoft Outlook today.
Apple Mail has been a useless pile of garbage from the beginning yet Apple does not give a single shit. It's tied to absolutely everything else in MacOS, so you pretty much have to use it, but Apple doesn't care if it sucks.
But it gets so much worse the more you use it.
Searching for a word? Fine. Here's a list of emails that word appears in. But then you have to search within the search results to find out where the word actually occurs.
But it gets so much worse than just that.
The thing that sent me into a rage this morning that made me go running to download Microsoft Outlook? Something so outrageously stupid that I cannot wrap my head around it... SEARCH RESULTS IN APPLE MAIL ARE FUCKING CASE SENSITIVE?!? Jesus. Who the fuck does that? This is absolute insanity. Especially for names which have multiple capitalization options, meaning you have to search 3 or 4 times before you get anywhere. Madness. Absolute fucking madness.
But it gets so much worse than just that.
Most of the time when trying to actually get results out of Apple Mail search... the app crashes. MacOS gives you a full-on crash report and everything!
But anyway...
I know that other email programs make search much, much easier. For one thing, they don't immediately crash. For another, search results are only case-sensitive if you want them to be. For yet another, you search once for a word or phrase and the word or phrase is highlighted in all the emails where the app found results. You don't have to re-search or scroll forever (since re-searches crash the app).
And, yep, sure enough... Microsoft Outlook is a frickin' dream to use. Not just for search but for everything. It's not as integrated into MacOS X as I'd like, but it's so much easier to use and so much more capable that I just don't give a shit. I'll start up Apple Mail if it turns out I have to.
Way to go, Apple.
How long is it before I give up on MacOS X and Mac and start using Windows PCs? No idea, but it will be all your fault if it happens.
Pope Francis has died at 88 years old.
My feelings (as somebody who was in the Catholic Church as a child) are rather complex when it comes to the Pontiff of the Catholic Church. On one hand, I appreciate that the Pope tries to foster compassion and understanding. I remember thinking quite fondly of Pope John Paul II because he traveled extensively and seemed to be intent on making things better for all peoples and not just Catholics.
On the other hand, more and more the only thing I want from a Pope is to step up and say "The Catholic Church will work tirelessly to bring priests who are guilty of crimes, particularly sexual assault of children, to justice. No exceptions. My mandate is to no longer have The Church be made a refuge for these criminals." But it never quite works like that. Pope Francis kinda skirted around the issue whenever possible. Sure he was better than some, but it always felt as though he was doing the bare minimum, even as child assault cases mounted around him. That being said... at least he publicly acknowledged that priests and nuns are guilty of the assault. That ain't nothing. But it's hard to look at it as a magnanimous act when we have no idea how much we don't know. And what we do know.
All I know is that he could have done more. Should have done more.
UPDATE: As if to put a point on this post, this story just appeared in my news feed: US cardinal accused of covering up sex abuse scandal will help close Pope Francis’ coffin.
It's hard to look at that headline and see it as a reflection on the Pope's legacy.
Star Wars, as a franchise, is something I love... even when it's bad. Though there's precious few things that I actually consider "bad," because there's always something cool or interesting to be found. I positively loathe The Phantom Menace, but loved the pod racing and ship designs. I also loathed Attack of the Clones, but loved the chase of Sam Wessell in the opening and everything to do with Obi-Wan's story. I thought Return of the Jedi was a massive step down from The Empire Strikes Back, but the big space battle and duel between Luke and Vader were amazing.
Things get more complicated after that, especially with the television series.
The Obi-Wan series should have been a home run. It stars one of my favorite actors, Ewan McGregor, and he is indeed phenomenal in the lead role. And Darth Vader too? Sign me up! But the story was so weak. Not deserving of the character that McGregor made me care about so much.
Ahsoka began as one of my most-hated characters, but once they had her start growing up and getting rid of the annoying sidekick idiocy with "Sky Guy" (Anakin Skywalker) she quickly became on of the best characters in the entirety of Star Wars. And then... then... they cast Rosario Dawson in the role! Her guest appearances in The Mandalorian were too good to be true. So how excited was I for her own self-titled series, Ahsoka? Very. And while the casting and performance and effects were all great, they saddled her with a story which wasn't really her own. It was so jam-packed with other characters that it felt as if she was a guest-star in her own show. Why not just call it Rebels? And then there were positively silly moments that sank it for me... like that crazy spacewalk scene where she battled star fighters. JUST SHOOT THE SHIP!
But oh well. I still enjoyed Ahsoka... it just could have been so much better.
Then, at the other end of the spectrum is the Star Wars television shows I love. The first two seasons of The Mandalorian were good to great. I loved Skeleton Crew, even though I was pre-disposed to hating it because I thought it was just going to be a bunch of bratty kids hanging around Jude Law. Nope! Brilliant Star Wars.
But the pinnacle for me is Andor. The first season was not just some of the best Star Wars ever made... it was one of the best television shows ever made. Period. Very close to one of my favorite things ever, The Empire Strikes Back.
And here comes the second (and sadly, last) season...
Based on the first three episodes alone, I'm guessing that it will end up overtaking Empire for me. It's THAT good...
There's a single line delivered near the end of the third episode which will haunt me for a long, long time. You can't say that about a lot of the stuff you see.
I'll withold my comments until a while after the series airs because I don't want to ruin it for anybody. But, dang... if you're not watching, you should be. Even if you don't care much for Star Wars.
I feel so terrible harvesting lettuce to eat.
I raised them from baby seeds! But it's delicious and a lot less expensive (when excluding the hydroponics stuff, at the start). I think by the end of the year I'll be breaking even on my investment, then paying pennies on the dollar compared to buying at the store with today's prices...
And is it weird that even when I'm eating burgers at home I put them in a waxed paper pocket? I just like eating burgers that way for some reason. Keeps me from making a mess!
My tomato plants are coming along nicely. Hopefully I'll be able to make a salad soon!
Hold onto your Easter bonnet... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...
• Home Video! I was going to buy Captain America: Brave New World because I haven't seen it. But the price is THIRTY FUCKING DOLLARS? Are Disney and Marvel Studios out of their damn minds? THIRTY?!? Well, guess I'm waiting until a sale to watch it. Wonder if Disney+ will stream it for free before then or before I remember? I swear... the clueless morons in charge of these studios bitch about how they didn't make enough money in the theater for whatever reason... then charge an amount nobody will pay so they will instead stream it for free so then they can bitch about how they didn't make any money from home video sales? Get fucked, dumbasses. THIRTY DOLLARS?!?
• Baby Shark! I love videos of people taking time to be kind to creatures of this earth...
And now Baby Shark is going through my head. Not fair.
• Potato! Poppy Cooks finally released The Potato Book. As a vegetarian, the potato is an invaluable part of my diet and finding new ways to cook them is always a plus...
There's plenty of recipes with meat, but enough meat-free options and idea to make it worthwhile.
• In Today's News! ISPs and robocallers love the FCC plan to “delete” as many rules as possible — Oh yay! I think what we're all hoping for is more text spam and robocall spam! Thank God we now have an FCC giving Americans exactly what they dream of! Who the fuck thinks this is a good idea?
• Here Comes Kayla! I loved the first season of Hacks at HBO Max. Hated the second season. It was a meandering mess that felt like absolutely nobody knew what the heck they were doing or where they were going. Then the third season recovered nicely. I loved it more than the first. They had a clear direction and each episode moved towards it beautifully. And now the fourth season just started. It's delicious. I hope they don't drag everything back to the status quo too quickly so it can marinate for a while. I mean, yeah, I know that a common foe will have to manifest to return to where we were because that's how these things go... but how brave would the show be if the conflict ran the whole season? That might be interesting!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I will go back to praying for Kayla to get run over by a fucking bus. Her character isn't funny. It's a never-ending distraction that goes too far over the top in every damn scene and any time she's doing her stupid shit I marvel that every other character seems to be handled with care to make sure there's some grounding to be had, but Kayla's just in outer space being an idiot 24/7. How does that help the show? Nobody in the history of the world would hire this fucking zero, let alone make her a partner. Every time I think something genius is going on in the writer's room... HERE COMES KAYLA! Lord.
• Six Days And Counting! If you've been eyeing Plex as you home media server, you may want to buy their lifetime pass at $120 before it over doubles in price...
This is what I use and have had a lifetime pass for many years. Just be sure the features of the lifetime pass are something you really need before investing the cash.
• Always Take a Screenshot! I have wanted a Le Creuset Dutch Oven for decades. But they're always so incredibly expensive (even on sale) that I just can't afford it. The price has gone from $340 to $390 over the years. I have no idea what the tariffs will be for France in 90 days, so when I saw the 4.5-quart of my dreams for $276 total including tax and free shipping (it's even the red one to match my kitchen!) I pounced on it. I don't have the money, but it's the cheapest I've ever seen it. Placed my order at Bed Bath & Beyond. Their order screen with free shipping said $275.94... their ApplePay screen weirdly said $253.79 (that's the price not including tax). So I foolishly assumed I would be charged $275.94. Silly me... I was actually charged $300.36! AND... there's NO WAY TO GET MY ORDER DETAILS TO KNOW WHY! Clicking on "Order Details" doesn't tell you anything. So... that's what... $24? $25? difference? Yes. That's $90 less than the usual cost, but I want to pay what I was told it would cost me!
I screenshot absolutely everything when I order stuff now-a-days, because this seems to happen a lot. Everybody should screenshot their order process because you pretty much have to.
So anyway... a half hour on the phone with Bed Bath & Beyond Customer Service and I'm offered store credit?!? Oh hell no. I WANT TO PAY THE PRICE I WAS TOLD I'D BE PAYING... CREDIT THAT OVERCHARGE BACK TO MY CREDIT CARD, BECAUSE I DOUBT I WILL EVER SHOP WITH THIS SCAM COMPANY EVER AGAIN. I honest-to-God do not understand how this is even remotely legal. Charging more money than you say you're charging? How does that even happen? Isn't that theft? I don't give a crap about why something went wrong. I don't. It should not take A HALF HOUR to get this resolved. I HAVE THE RECEIPTS! And what would have happened if I hadn't taken screenshots to prove this was a scam? What if I hadn't noticed I was overcharged? I guess I could have canceled the order... but come on. Just charge the price I was told. This is not rocket science.
Is this an issue for the Better Business Bureau? No idea. But I tell you what... I should receive compensation for the time I wasted trying to resolve their mistake. This call should have been me saying "I was overcharged and have the receipts to prove it." And them saying "Sorry to hear that, I will credit the overcharge back to your card immediately, then I will insist that this gets looked into, because we don't want to charge people more money that we say we're charging them... that would be illegal."
You may now resume eating eggs.
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